Ranger was still getting a handle on their new powers. Ever since their encounter with the mystic Samuel Travis, Ranger had similar abilities to before but they were fractured. Powers split along two forms and utilizing the powers of one form or the other instigated a change between them. Physical changes while their power was active was not something Ranger was unused to, it was a large part of how their power had worked. However, following their power being altered by a mystic attack Ranger found their power led to a much more significant change. They physically changed sexes.

It was rather slow going adapting to the changes. Ranger was slowly understanding the form switching in relation to their powers as they were used. It was the social aspects that were proving more difficult to manage. Being married, having a daughter, running a business, performing dark side operations. Everything was further complicated. Sure, Ranger had been in situations where they were a woman before but those seemed to be limited in time and generally related to a body swap. What had happened was more permanent while also transient in nature.

For Ranger the switching was becoming a new normal and they wanted help in adapting. They knew of one other person who had a similar power who could help them. The X-Man, Mirror Grey-Morris .

Getting a message to Mirror was not difficult. Ranger could have gone through Cold Steel, but they didn’t even need to do that. Ranger just sent an email. It was sent by a Haven email address, hoping good will between Haven and the Mansion would keep Mirror from just marking it spam.

In the email Ranger introduced themselves and that they were a friend of Sam. The email contained an apology for not being successful in apprehending the mystic who had attacked their child. It also mentioned that during the siege on Travis’ base of operations, Ranger had been hit by some magical effect that altered their power and that Mirror might be able to understand their situation and give them some advice. Ranger invited Mirror to Haven and signed off with ‘Michael Hunter, Ranger’.

When Ranger heard back they appropriated the use of CLASS. As Haven’s answer to the Danger Room, it felt the best place to demonstrate their power if necessary while having a talk. The room reserved, Ranger waited at the security desk for Mirror. Much to the annoyance of the guard on duty who now had the head boss chilling with them.

A few days prior Ranger had been out shopping with Emma. Someone had to be the mother and now that Ranger could change between male and female she had started filling that role more and more often. So Ranger was still in her female form. A form that while not exact, was close enough in appearance to her wife, Noel, that often the employees of Blac-Tac had to do a double take to know if it was Ranger or Noel. If nothing else, the plaid button ups were a good indication it was Ranger.

The email had been strange, to say the least. Mirror had a general idea of who Ranger was, mostly from Sam, and because they had done the rounds in similar circles, walking the line between the vigilante business, Haven, and other... related fields. But still, the email was unexpected. Mirror rarely met people who had similar powers (whether it was teleportation or gender shifting, not to mention the movie walks). And yet, Sam vouched for the man, so here Gawain was, walking into Haven's main building. His relationship to Haven had soured since the attack on Iris, but he knew they had been doing their level best to rectify the mistake.

He did blink when he saw the familiar woman waiting for him at the front desk. Gawain was dressed in his everyday clothes, jeans and a t-shirt, wearing the somewhat drawn expression of a permanently sleep deprived parent. Michael Hunter was nowhere to be seen. "Uh... hi. Gawain Morris. Ranger's expecting me?"

Ranger didn’t have to wait long before she saw Mirror arrive at Haven. She watched Mirror on the camera system as he approached. So it was that Ranger was ready and waiting as Mirror approached the front desk and introduced himself as Gawain. Ranger had heard Mirror used different names.

Extending a hand to Gawain, Ranger introduced herself, ”Howdy. I’m Michael Hunter. Ranger.” Then with a gesture to herself, ”Y’ might can see why I reached out t’ y’.”

Grabbing her phone and barely managing to stick it a little into a back pocket, Ranger stepped around the security desk. ”Buzz us through, Tedward.”

“Yes, sir. Ma’am… Sir-ma’am. Uh. Ranger.” Tedward stammered as he clicked away at a keyboard, clearing the way for Ranger and Mirror to head to CLASS.

”Just as odd f’r my staff as it is f’r me I think… C’mon. I cleared us a place t’ chat where there aren’t pryin’ ears.”

>>”Howdy. I’m Michael Hunter. Ranger. Y’ might can see why I reached out t’ y’.”

Oh. Oh. Gawain blinked, looking at the woman. So there was a reason she looked familiar... the way Maya probably looked familiar to people who knew Gawain.
A gender-shifter.

Gawain followed Ranger down the hallways of Haven, noting the confusion at the front desk. This whole thing had to be fairly new.

>>”Just as odd f’r my staff as it is f’r me I think… C’mon. I cleared us a place t’ chat where there aren’t pryin’ ears.”

"Alright" Gawain nodded, sneaking glances at the woman next to him. "So... you want to tell me how this happened? Is this a new power set...? Or a spell or something?"

The email had been cryptic and Ranger had noted the moment that Gawain realized what it had been about. Ranger had also caught at least one glance from Gawain as the pair of them walked. It must be interesting for Mirror to not be the only gender shifter anymore.

Ranger led the way through Haven toward CLASS as she spoke to Gawain. ”Long story short, a mystic dorked up my powers.” Ranger said and turned to face a door that was immediately unlocked. She opened it and entered a hallway, holding the door for Gawain. ”Sveta sent me after Samuel Travis. I tracked him down and my team an’ I stormed his hideout. I caught him by surprise an’ he used an unfinished spell on me. I think my power goin’ wild would have ripped me apart but another mystic stabilized it. It idn’ just some spell though. There’s no lingerin’ magic. This is part of my power now.”

A heavy door sat in front of Ranger, a light flashed above it and it opened for her. Inside was CLASS. Ranger led the way, ladies first after all. ”Half my power seems bound t’ my normal form. Half my power is bound t’ this one… where I look almost like my wife. But shorter.”

>>”Long story short, a mystic dorked up my powers.”

Gawain let out a groan. Of course they did. Mystics messing with powers was the new normal. It was still a sore spot since Iris had been attacked.

>>”Sveta sent me after Samuel Travis. I tracked him down and my team an’ I stormed his hideout. I caught him by surprise an’ he used an unfinished spell on me. I think my power goin’ wild would have ripped me apart but another mystic stabilized it. It idn’ just some spell though. There’s no lingerin’ magic. This is part of my power now.”

Gawain blinked, pausing as they reached the door to stare at Ranger.

"Travis did this?!..." Damn that man. Who the hell did he think he was...?

Right. Ranger. He had gone after Travis. Sam mentioned it... before they caught Travis. Now it made sense.

>>”Half my power seems bound t’ my normal form. Half my power is bound t’ this one… where I look almost like my wife. But shorter.”

The door opened, and they walked into something that looked like the upgraded version of the Danger Room. Gawain whistled as he walked in; what Ranger was saying was at least as interesting as the setting. "That's gotta be interesting..." He wondered what it would be like if Maya looked like Becca. Other than... hot?

"So... you shift back and forth? Is that why you called me?"

Ranger nodded to Gawain. Travis had indeed been the one who messed up their power. The same Travis who had tested his magic on Gawain’s kid. Thankfully, where Ranger had failed, Mirror and Cold Steel had succeeded. Ranger felt that her involvement had rushed Travis and led to his mistakes that got him caught. Made her power altering worth it.

”That… Is a word f’r it.” Ranger said, ”Emma—my daughter—loves it. Noel said I can be the kid’s mom role model.” Ranger shook her head and smiled, ”So… At least my family’s benefittin’.”

There was a screen near the door and Ranger made her way over to it and poked at if for a few seconds to set the program. She could have used voice commands, but she liked tactile interactions. As she set up CLASS she said, ”Yeah. I can learn t’ work with bein’ a woman. This weirdly idn’ the first time.” Ranger had body swapped with Lori and Noel. Not to mention she still had memories she lifted from her time with Noel’s power floating around in her head. They had made adapting easier. ”It’s the switchin’ that gets me. T’ me, I’m always me, but t’ others I’m sometimes me sometimes other me.” Ranger pushed a final button and the scene mostly stayed the same but a place to hang clothes appeared and several floor panels began to move to create spaces where Ranger could force her power to activate. ”How d’ y’ manage it?”

>>”Yeah. I can learn t’ work with bein’ a woman. This weirdly idn’ the first time.”

Gawain arched an eyebrow. That statement was weirdl less shocking than it should have been a few years ago. Apart from Iris giving people random powers willy-nilly (and sometimes changing Sam into a girl and Becca into a pretty hot dude), there were now more new ways than ever to change genders by mutant and magical means.

>>”It’s the switchin’ that gets me. T’ me, I’m always me, but t’ others I’m sometimes me sometimes other me... How d’ y’ manage it?”

Gawain chuckled, watching the room work its magic.

"I was born like this." He admitted, folding his hands. "Mom's a shifter too. She decided to give me two separate identities... tell people I was a set of twins. We moved around a lot so she mostly got away with it... that's how I was raised. Gawain and Maya. That's still the official story... although lately I have been questioning it."

There wasn’t much of a reaction to Ranger stating that she had been in previous situations making her a woman. It made sense, if nothing else, Gawain’s daughter Iris would cause it to happen to those around her . Like Cold Steel… and Ranger when he met up with Cold Steel once.

Ranger nodded at Gawain saying he was born with the gender swapping. That would make it easier, just growing up doing it made it more innately manageable.

”That sounds like a brilliant way t’ go about it. Especially when y’r born with the power.” Ranger said before looking at the setting she’d created. The floor had finally stopped rearranging. ”What’s got y’ questionin’ it lately?” Ranger wasn’t sure if that was the best way to phrase the question or how exactly to ask the question she was asking. It wasn’t just a why but also a clarification on what she was asking. Having had the experience of gender changing in her past allowed her to adapt to what half her life had become, but she was still fumbling darkly through the permanence of the swapping. It wasn’t just that she happened to be a woman briefly, it was now that she was about half the time always and forever more.

From there, Ranger took off her plaid button up, boots, and jeans, leaving her standing there in ranger panties and a sports bra. Aside from the bare feet it was a normal athletic outfit, like Ranger was about to lift some weights. The removed clothing was hung up on the hooks that CLASS had provided..

>>”That sounds like a brilliant way t’ go about it. Especially when y’r born with the power... What’s got y’ questionin’ it lately?”

It was... a way to do it. Not a bad one, and his mother had done the best she could. Gawain didn't mind having two identities, even though they had become obsolete the more people found out the truth. He shrugged, watching Ranger undress.

"Yeah well... it worked because I always shift at midnight. I don't have control over it, but it's predictable." Gawain noted. "But it is... strange, after a while, carrying two identities. I have talked to... shifters lately who don't take the whole... gender binary thing so strictly." A lot had changed in thirty years. Gawain smirked at Ranger.

"I see you figured the underwear thing out."

Mirror always shifted at midnight. Ranger had heard they shifted day to day, midnight made as much sense as any other time for there to be the swap. Much more convenient than noon.

”I can relate, somewhat. I spent years livin’ two lives. They didn’t have the stark division of shiftin’ genders between them. Jus’ one life f’r home an’ one life workin’ darkside.” Outside of those with clearance, the only person who ever knew of Ranger’s clandestine work was Noel. The most secret of Ranger’s time Noel had deleted for her to unburden her and protect Noel from the risks of the knowledge. ”Now with the physical changes dividin’ my two lives… Well, it falls exactly on gender lines an’ there’s somethin’ else. I don’t quite understand.” Ranger walked to place herself in a place where large metal tiles surrounded her on five sides. ”Y’d think oh I just change sexes but I’m still a man in here, but y’ might have noticed I don’t move exactly like I’m jus’ a man in a woman’s body. Often, especially if my focus is elsewhere, it’s like my body will move some on its own. I’ll move in more feminine ways, select more feminine attire, an’ so on. Like this body has a mind of its own.”  Ranger said then pivoted her comments back to Gawain, "Y' movin' more t' gender neutral as y' power becomes more common knowledge?"

Ranger chuckled at the comment about figuring out the underwear. ”Yeah… Find things that change shape ‘r else this will cause a disaster. CLASS, engage movement one.” Ranger called out to the room and there was a beep from the control panel before the panels around Ranger moved. They closed, trapping Ranger in place. She held out her arms and caught two of the walls before the one above her pressed down on her back. She strained against the tiles as they compressed. Then her body shifted. Her muscles grew to inhuman proportions as the force needed increased. Alsong with it their body shifted into its formerly normal male self. Once the shift was complete the muscles erupted into an enormous size and the machinery was audibly straining to compress Ranger.

After a few more seconds, the panels backed away and Ranger’s body began to shrink down to a normal male body size. ”I cain’ control the swap, but my power does. It’s like it decides what is needed f’r the immediate situation and changes me t’ it.”

>> ”Y’d think oh I just change sexes but I’m still a man in here, but y’ might have noticed I don’t move exactly like I’m jus’ a man in a woman’s body. Often, especially if my focus is elsewhere, it’s like my body will move some on its own. I’ll move in more feminine ways, select more feminine attire, an’ so on. Like this body has a mind of its own... Y' movin' more t' gender neutral as y' power becomes more common knowledge?"

"Not sure gender neutral is... what I'd call it" Gawain shrugged. "But now I have a kid who switches other people as well, so the shifting... has gotten more random. And yeah, I feel the same way you do, it's not... as clear cut as people believe. I jsut got very used to keeping up appearances since childhood." Then again, Maya had never been the daintiest of feminine women.

Ranger moved on to giving a demonstration of her powers. Which was... quite impressive. Seeing her shift was one thing - that never stopped amazing Gawain - but the extra muscles were also... a lot. He whistled as the panels backed away, and Ranger, now a man, took on his normal size.

>>”I cain’ control the swap, but my power does. It’s like it decides what is needed f’r the immediate situation and changes me t’ it.”

"Holy sh*t. Well, that's something else." He arched an eyebrow. "So... you shift randomly, depending on what comes your way in a fight?"

Ranger nodded. They felt they could understand to a greater degree than most people what Mirror was saying. While the gender shifting was old hat for Mirror and new to Ranger, recent developments had made it not so regular in interval for either of them.

”I’m not sure what I’m goin’ t’ do with regards t’ appearances. Do I just own it an’ be one person with two faces publicly, ‘r be closer t’ two people. Even with simple things. Like names. T’ my kid I’m Dad but also sometimes Mom.” The mom who takes her shopping.

The physical changes seemed to surprise Gawain somewhat. He had exclaimed at Ranger’s beyond Arnold level physique. Gender changes, not so impressive to a gender shifter, but changing into a hulking mass of muscle and back was always a sight.

”More ‘r less. I’ve experimented a little. Seems like whatever my power feels is most necessary t’ keep me alive is the default. An’ each form can do different things.” Ranger held up both hands and counted on them separately to indicated the powers listed were in a different basket. ”Strength, bone toughness, slash ‘r puncture resistance, enhanced sight. All male powers. Speed, abrasion resistance, electrical ‘r thermal resistance, enhanced hearin’. All female powers. Breathin’ enhancement seems t’ work in both forms.”

There was a pedestal with two contacts on top. Ranger walked over to it and put her hands near it. ”So in theory I can take a bullet. I used t’ be able t’ do it. Pretty instantaneously my skin would change. Now, it’s delayed if I have t’ switch.” Ranger put a hand on each of the leads. A light turned on and a display that was directed where Gawain could see showed the level of current. It shot up to a dangerous but not fatal level and Ranger’s face twisted into a pained grimace for a second. Then their form shifted again, returning to her female form and the level of current dropped as Ranger’s electrical resistance became too high for the circuit to complete. Then Ranger released the contacts and stumbled back a step, breathing heavier. ”The switches can be taxin’ if they happen too close t’gether.”

>>”I’m not sure what I’m goin’ t’ do with regards t’ appearances. Do I just own it an’ be one person with two faces publicly, ‘r be closer t’ two people. Even with simple things. Like names. T’ my kid I’m Dad but also sometimes Mom.”

"Iris calls me Mimi." Gawain smirked. The kid was going to grow up with a definition of gender very different from her parents'.

>>”More ‘r less. I’ve experimented a little. Seems like whatever my power feels is most necessary t’ keep me alive is the default. An’ each form can do different things. Strength, bone toughness, slash ‘r puncture resistance, enhanced sight. All male powers. Speed, abrasion resistance, electrical ‘r thermal resistance, enhanced hearin’. All female powers. Breathin’ enhancement seems t’ work in both forms.”

Gawain whistled. That was an impressive set of powers, even without the shifting.

>>”So in theory I can take a bullet. I used t’ be able t’ do it. Pretty instantaneously my skin would change. Now, it’s delayed if I have t’ switch.... The switches can be taxin’ if they happen too close t’gether.”

"Jesus Christ." Gawain did not want to venture to guess how Ranger found that out. He had been electrocuted before, and it was a bitch. He sighed, nodding. "I used to shift while asleep, because I always shift at midnight... I hated being awake for it. I'm getting used to it now, but... yeah. Yours is the same but on steroids... Not sure I could shift during battle."

Ranger nodded with a smile. Iris calling Mirror Mimi was rather cute, and a good way to side step gendered parental terms. ”That’s super cute.” Ranger shrugged a little, mostly to himself, ”Emma’ll probably figure out what works best f’r her.”

The electrical swap seemed to leave an impression with Gawain. Which made sense, it wasn’t everyday you watched a man take a dangerous amount of current before their body shifted and they were immune to the current. Especially after that same person just handled an impressive weight.

”Shifting durin’ battle… Is odd. I’ve done it a few times an’ I don’ recommend it.” Ranger shook her head and took a few deep breaths to calm her breathing, ”I’ve torn a few outfits swtichin’ one way an’ been swallowed by some switchin’ the other. First time it happened I was swimmin’ across a moat around a house that was bein’ swirled by a gravity an’ water manip pair of mutants. Current so strong the firefighter I was with got swept away an’ I had t’ snag him an’ make f’r the side as my clothes were tryin’ t’ fall off.”

”Battle swap’s seem t’ be the most predictable swaps though. If one power’s needed f’r the fight an’ it is on the other gender. I swap. Outside of a fight… I don’t quite get why I sometimes swap. It’s like it has a mind of its own.”